January 27, 2026, 6:29 p.mJanuary 27, 2026, 6:29 p.m
According to Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Denmark wants to “do everything” to come to an agreement with the USA in the Greenland conflict – except for ceding territory. In the ARD program “Maischberger,” when asked whether Greenlandic territory was conceivable for the United States, Frederiksen said, according to the translation: “No. You can’t imagine that.” The day that compromises are made on the basic pillars of democracy, everything will be over.
Mette Frederiksen on January 23rd in Greenland.Image: keystone
US President Donald Trump had repeatedly threatened to annex the island, which belongs to Denmark. On the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, after a conversation with NATO chief Mark Rutte, he surprisingly declared that there was now a framework for an agreement on Greenland’s future. At the same time, he withdrew threatened punitive tariffs against European allies, including Germany, who had backed Denmark.
“See if we can come to an agreement”
Frederiksen sees this as a success in the fight against the US threat. “If Europe stands together and defends itself, speaks with one voice, then it works,” she said. “We now have a diplomatic track with the Americans and have to see whether we can reach an agreement.”
Frederiksen did not want to comment on the content of the talks with the USA. One can “never know” how long the negotiations will last. “In parallel to the talks we are now having with the Americans, we Europeans have to make it clear to ourselves that the old world is gone,” said the head of government. «I don’t think she’ll come back. For us Europeans, the most important thing is to focus on rearmament.” (hkl/sda/dpa)